Iowa bill to track meds purchases passes House

DES MOINES, Iowa House File 2265, which would create an electronic system to track the purchase of products containing pseudoephedrine, passed the Iowa House on Monday and has been forwarded to that state’s Senate.

If the bill passes, retailers would be obligated to use the electronic system to instantly check the photo identification of people buying PSE-containing cough and cold products. The system would prevent the practice of “smurfing,” by which drug abusers in search of PSE products acquire the maximum amount of product they can buy at one store, only to buy more at another store down the road.

According to a report in the Des Moines Register, House File 2265 would set up a pseudoephedrine advisory council to help the Iowa Board of Pharmacy implement an electronic monitoring system.

The local daily also noted that the proposal does not allocate money to help the state set up the system, a cost estimated at around $230,000. In addition, depending upon what type of system is ultimately adopted, retailers could be charged a fee of as much as 10 cents per transaction and also be obligated to purchase a $900 device per store to scan identification cards, the paper added.

Schering Plough files NDA for Zegerid OTC heartburn treatment

KENILWORTH, N.J. Schering-Plough has submitted a new drug application to the Food and Drug Administration for an over-the-counter branded version of its prescription heartburn treatment drug Zegerid.

The application was submitted due to a license agreement between Schering and Santarus, which was signed in October 2006. The agreement grants the right to market the OTC Zegerid product using Santarus’ patented technology.

Under the agreement with Santarus, Schering-Plough is responsible for the development, manufacturing and commercialization of Zegerid OTC products for heartburn-related indications in the United States and Canada. Santarus continues to manufacture, promote and sell its Zegerid prescription products in both 20 mg and 40 mg strengths for the proton pump inhibitor market.

“Schering-Plough is looking forward to working with the FDA to bring this prescription product to consumers as an OTC treatment for frequent heartburn,” said John O’Mullane, group vice president of research and development at Schering-Plough Consumer Health Care. “When approved, Zegerid will be a valuable addition to our expanding portfolio of gastrointestinal OTC products, such as Miralax, which was launched last year for the treatment of occasional constipation.”

Santarus is entitled to receive up to $22.5 million in regulatory milestones and up to $37.5 million in sales milestones. Schering-Plough previously had paid Santarus a $15 million upfront license fee, and a $5 million milestone payment.

Kmart rewarding pharmacy customers with $1 promotion on OTC medicines

HOFFMAN ESTATES , Ill. Kmart is launching a new promotion that rewards its pharmacy customers with low-cost over-the-counter medications for every prescription they have filled at one of its pharmacies.

Under the new American Fare Dollar Program, pharmacy customers can choose from 10 OTC medications from Kmart’s proprietary American Fare brand for a cost of $1 with every prescription purchase. OTC medications in the program include aspirin, ibuprofen, children’s pain reliever, baby aspirin, nasal decongestant, cough suppressant, anti-diarrhea medication and cold and allergy tablets.

“We’re always looking for ways to provide more value … especially when healthcare costs are generally on the rise,” said Mark Doerr, vice president of Kmart Pharmacy. “The American Fare Dollar Program rewards our pharmacy customers with an amazing deal and introduces them to our great private-label OTC products at the same time.”

The discount chain, a division of Sears Holdings Corp., unveiled the program in its Florida pharmacies Friday. The promotion will roll to all Kmart pharmacies in April, the company reported. All of the $1 American Fare products, which are specially labeled, will be available behind the pharmacy counter. Regular-priced versions of the 10 American Fare products in the program will continue to be available on store shelves.

Forgotten Password

Registration complete

REGISTER

USERNAME *

Spaces are allowed; punctuation is not allowed except for periods, hyphens, and underscores.

E-MAIL ADDRESS *

A valid e-mail address. All e-mails from the system will be sent to this address. The e-mail address is not made public and will only be used if you wish to receive a new password or wish to receive certain news or notifications by e-mail.

Password *

Confirm Password *

Please choose a password for your account; it must be 8 - 30 characters. .

First Name *

Last Name *

Company Name *

Job Title *

ZIP *

Are you a *

Retailer or Healthcare professional

Non-Retailer

How many stores do you operate?: *

Which best describes the business/industry you work in?: *

Which best describes your job title?: *

Please select the newsletters you would like to subscribe to

DSN A.M.
Daily news stories covering the retail drug industry

Breaking News
First-to-the-market with developing stories in the industry